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Dr. Jacqueline Kirk Commemorative Competition

Gender Equality In and Through Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crisis and Early Recovery

CALL FOR PAPERS & CASE STUDIES: August 2009

This month marks the first anniversary of the death of Dr. Jacqueline (Jackie) Kirk, who was tragically killed with her colleagues Mohammad Aimal, Shirley Case and Nicole Dial in August 2008 while working for the International Rescue Committee in Afghanistan.

Jackie Kirk was an extremely active member of INEE and a passionate advocate for quality education in emergencies. A technical specialist in education in emergencies and post-conflict, with a particular focus on gender issues, Jackie founded and convened the INEE Gender Task Team from 2005, representing IRC as the convening organization. To commemorate the pioneering work Jackie led on gender and education in emergencies, INEE is launching a Commemorative Competition toencourage continued research and good practice in this critical area of work.

It is critical to establish gender-responsive education programs throughout the emergency relief to development continuum. Not only do girls and boys, women and men, experience conflict and natural disasters differently, but these crises contexts can also provide opportunities for systemic change that can increase gender equity within communities and national systems as they recover and rebuild. Jackie, through her work with the INEE Gender Task Team, the International Rescue Committee, the IASC Education Cluster and the IASC Gender Sub-Working Group, worked to ensure that access to quality and safe education in emergencies for girls and boys, young women and men was safeguarded, and that opportunities to improve gender equality in and through education in crisis contexts were leveraged to further our collective efforts towards education for all.

This Commemorative Competition seeks to identify academic papers and practitioner-authored case studies that document innovative gender-responsive research, policy or practice in the field of education in emergencies. Authors can submit work in one of two formats:

An academic paper which examines an issue related to gender and education in emergencies. Academic papers should be no longer that 15 pages, and include abibliography or reference list.

A case study that documents an innovative programme or policy related to gender and education in emergencies. Case studies should be submitted in the format of the templateprovided here.

The short list of papers and case studies will be published on the INEE website and widely acknowledged via the INEE listserv as well as to partner listservs. The winning paper and case study will be honored with a small cash prize of $500 each. Alternatively, winners could choose to donate the funds to one of two funds set-up in honour of the IRC education staff killed last year – more information about these funds is available here:

Deadline: Friday 13 November 2009. Winning entries will be announced in early 2010.

For more information about the INEE Gender Task Team, including a number of concrete tools and resources to support improved gender equity in and through education in emergencies and post-crisis contexts, please visit the INEE website here: www.ineesite.org/gender